Christmas Spirit
by Loads of Randomness
Summary: It can be a little hard getting into the right mood for Christmas when you were in LA and busy trying to save the world and all that. Our favourite team manages to do it anyway. Just not always in the traditional way. Based off reddit user /u/Atojiso's Pint-sized Prompts - December 2016
1. First Frost

**#First Frost – Winter just arrived and your character(s) are stuck outside in the cold – 100 words - | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

"It's _cold_."

Kensi sighed and rolled her eyes. Her partner really was infuriating.

"I _told _you to dress for cold weather."

"I _am _dressed for the cold weather," Deeks complained, waving down at his body. "I have a scarf and everything. What I am not dressed for is getting stuck outside in a _snowstorm_."

Kensi scoffed. "This isn't a snowstorm."

"I'm _LA _born and bred. Any snow is a snowstorm."

"Uh huh."

Deeks pouted. "You're not a very sensitive partner."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to find a way back into the cabin that _you _locked us out of."


	2. Put On

**#Put On – Nothing says the holiday season like wearing ugly sweaters! – 200 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour/Friendship**

"No. Not happening."

"Oh, come on!" The two junior agents pleaded.

"It's Christmas, man," Deeks decided to throw in, only to receive a glare in response.

"Everyone in the office is taking part," Kensi tried.

"I'm not everyone and how come your not badgering G?" Sam demanded with a glare.

His partner took this opportunity to appear. Wearing a Christmas sweater. An incredibly _ugly _Christmas sweater. An atrocious one even. It had glitter. And _lights_. That _blinked_.

Sam threw his hands up. "Oh, come on, G!"

Callen shrugged and sat himself down at his desk.

"You like?" he asked, plucking it away from him. "It was the first one I found."

"Truly atrocious," Kensi assured him. Callen looked satisfied with that pronouncement.

"The King of Antisocial is taking part in festive activities? The world must be ending," Sam mocked in a deadpan voice.

"Hey, first prize is a voucher for that steak place."

Deeks and Kensi looked at Sam, hoping that would sway his decision.

"Nope," the large man shook his head. "Not happening."

The younger set of partners deflated at that. They had tried.

Callen folded his arms and raised an eyebrow challenging.

"You're just scared that I'm going to win."


	3. Spike

**#Spike! – Oh no, someone has spiked the eggnog! How **_**terrible /s**_** – 500 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour**

It did not take long into the Office Party for things to go a little sideways. Thankfully, it had happened _after_ the announcement of winners to the Ugly Sweater Competition.

"How long did it take this year?" Kensi asked her partner, perching on his desk and handing him a drink.

"Surprisingly, an hour and a half," Deeks replied, taking a swig of his soda "Ah, that hit the spot."

Kensi looked somewhat impressed. "That has to be a record."

"What's a record?" Callen asked, suddenly appearing, looking a little flushed.

"How long it took for the eggnog to be spiked," Kensi told him.

"Yeah, I thought Mabel from HR was getting a little too handsy. It was like an hour this time, right?"

"Hour and a half," Deeks corrected.

"Nice. Beats our old one."

"Which was?" Deeks asked when no other information was forthcoming.

"Thirty minutes."

"_Seriously_?"

"I think the only reason why it didn't happen sooner that year is that Hetty didn't release the alcohol until then," Callen pointed out.

"True," Kensi said thoughtfully, taking a swig of her drink.

"Why did she even do that?" Deeks asked curiously.

"She wanted people to have food in their stomach first. That's what she told me," Kensi supplied, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her hideous jumper.

"Hey!" Deeks complained, tugging her arm away from her face. "You'll ruin it."

"That's the idea."

"Hey, it's _cool_ and will _totally _do for next year."

Trust Deeks to actually like ugly Christmas sweaters. Of course, this was from the man who also thought dogs playing poker was the height of sophisticated art.

"We better not being doing this next year," Sam grumbled, throwing himself into his seat.

Everyone hid their grins. He was actually wearing an ugly jumper. It was completely bedecked in tartan ribbons and liberally scattered with snowflakes. They had brought in the big guns to make it happen. Well, little Kamran Hanna and she had thrown herself into her role complete with the big, begging eyes her daddy couldn't deny. She had declared this one, "Bee-yoo-tee-full".

"You're just jealous that you didn't get a prize and I did," Callen said smugly.

He had got his steak diner voucher. No one came close to him.

"Hmpf."

"And why did Hetty want everyone fed?" Deeks brought the conversation back on track.

"Had a particularly unfortunate projectile vomiting incident the year before."

"I still say that that was a stomach bug Eric had," Kensi disagreed. "There's no way he drank that much alcohol."

"You really think Hetty would have let him in Ops if he was ill?" Callen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We talking about the eggnog?" Sam asked. "Mabel tried to feel up Granger."

Beer shot out of Kensi's nose, coating her sweater. "Seriously?"

"Uh huh." Sam nodded. "And I'm pretty sure I saw Eric and Nell trying to teach that Toys for Tots routine of theirs to people."

"They'd do that without alcohol."

"They keep crashing into each other."


	4. Naughty

**#Naughty – Holiday treats shouldn't be messed with, and yet here we are. **_**glares**_** – 100 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour**

"Seriously, Deeks?"

"I didn't _mean _to."

The team was currently running as fast as they could. Deeks had managed to trigger a trap that caused inflatable decorations to completely fill the rooms in an attempt to crush them.

"Why did you think touching Santa's cookies was a good idea?" Sam demanded. "They clearly had warnings!"

"I didn't know! It's way too early to be leaving out cookies anyway."

"Maybe someone's trying to stay on his Nice List," his partner quipped with a snort.

They were literally pushed out the door by one of the decorations.

"I hate Frosty," Deeks declared.


	5. Nice

**#Nice – An insanely kind gesture from someone unexpected. – 200 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Family/Friendship**

"Hey, what are these?" Callen asked suspiciously, holding a small paper bag up.

"Cookies?" Kensi said in surprise, peering into the bag left on her desk. "Christmas ones!"

"I've got some too," Deeks all but cheered.

"We all do," said Sam, looking at his own. "They even have our names on the bags."

"Where did they come from?" Kensi asked, carefully inspecting one.

"Who cares?" asked Deeks. "Free treats!"

"That might poison us," Sam told him.

"You're paranoid, man."

"And your instincts need honed. Again." Sam threatened.

A cough came from next to them.

"Thought you could do with a treat after nearly dying by Christmas decoration," said Granger, the hint of a smile on his face.

"Who even has that many Christmas inflatables," Deeks whined, reaching for a cookie.

"Uh, thanks," Kensi said awkwardly.

The rest of the team murmured their thanks as well. The Deputy Director nodded at them before walking off.

"Okay, who is that and what happened to Granger?" Callen asked, watching the man walk away.

"Maybe he got bit by the Christmas bug," Deeks said through a mouthful of chewed up cookie.

"Hey, look Deeks. There's a Frosty one," Kensi said, holding out a snowman cookie.

218


	6. Cosy

**#Cosy – Picture prompt: ** ** – 100 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Friendship/Humour**

"I knew he was being too nice," Deeks announced, rubbing his hands together.

"It's not that bad," Callen told him.

"Not bad? Not bad? We're in a _cabin _on the middle of a _frozen lake_."

"I don't know, it's kind of cosy," said Kensi, standing up from the fire which she had just got burning.

"Of course you would think that, Pocahontas."

That got an eyeroll from his partner.

"The cookies were a bribe!" Deeks whined. "A delicious, no good bribe."

"Granger would hardly know where this case would take us," said Sam

"Nah, that's more Hetty's thing," added Callen


	7. Gingerbad

**#Gingerbad – Baking gingerbread cookies is harder than it looks – 200 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour**

"G, what on earth is that?" Sam demanded from his partners.

"Gingerbread cookies!" Callen told him in an offended tone.

Sam looked down at the plate in front of them. It was stacked high with what could have been gingerbread cookies. If you tilted your head and squinted.

"Where did you get these?" Kensi asked hesitantly, slapping her partner's hand away from them.

"I baked them."

"You? Bake?" Sam scoffed. "No way."

"I was feeling festive!"

"Now I know there's definitely something wrong with you."

Callen glared at his partner and watched as Deeks picked up a burnt cookie to inspect it.

"They smell gingery," Deeks offered, sniffing it. "I don't know what the weird lumpy lines on top are though."

"That's the icing," Callen told them proudly.

"Did you put it on _before _you cooked them?" Kensi asked incredulously. "Don't eat that, Deeks."

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Deeks told her. "It's still better than your attempt."

"Is not!"

"These," Deeks waved one in her face and took an aggressive bite out of it, "Are at least edible."

"_See_," Callen crowed. "Edible's good."

Deeks started choking, doubling over.

Sam gave his partner a look. "Yeah, I see."


	8. Whirl'd Peas

**#Whirl'd Peas – A disastrous miscommunication – 100 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour/Friendship**

Deeks threw himself to the floor, coughing like crazy. Smoke getting in his lungs, eyes streaming. There was the hiss of a fire extinguisher and the flames stopped jumping.

The first thing he saw as the smoke cleared was the guilty face of his partner.

"Oops?"

All he could do was groan.

"I thought it said five hundred and fifty," she told him.

He coughed again, throat burning, and gave her an exasperated incredulous look.

"After last time, what made you think that this was a good idea?"

Kensi pouted and folded her arms.

"I wanted to be better than _Callen_."


	9. Deck the Halls

**#Deck the Halls – Put up some decorations today – 100 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Friendship**

"There's no way you can go any higher."

Kensi gave her team lead a challenging look. It wasn't as effective due to her being ten feet up the decorative lacework frames in the office.

"I so can," she claimed and the motioned at Nell. "Pass me that big garland."

The team were currently occupied with making the whole office looking like a tinsel factory had exploded, much to Hetty's despair. She kept on muttering about "Lack of taste".

With grunt, Kensi shimmied up further, the frame swaying precariously, and flung the garland over a rafter.

"See?"

"I see, Miss Blye."


	10. Missle Tow

**#Missile Tow – Mistletoe is a fantastic plot device for the holidays. Here, have a bushel – 400 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Friendship**

"Wow."

"That is a _lot_ of mistletoe."

Deeks and Kensi blinked at the orchard of sycamore trees on the commercial mistletoe farm they were investigating an employee of. There was _a lot _of it.

"Are you supposed to kiss as you walk past each one?" asked Deeks, waggling his eyebrows.

Kensi elbowed him sharply in the gut.

"You wish. Behave." she scolded, wandering down a row.

"I always behave," he claimed, quickly following her.

The guy they were after was apparently all the way down the end of this row. They had declined the offer for his boss to phone him, not wanting him to run. Or set off the bomb they knew he was building. Yeah, that would be a _bad _idea around all this highly flammable wood.

"I don't like mistletoe."

Deeks scrunched his face into a disbelieving look.

"Really? Who doesn't like mistletoe? You're obliged to give and take kisses. It's perfect."

"For harassment," she retorted with an eyeroll, trailing her fingers over a plant.

"I'll have you know that no one has ever complained about kissing me under the mistletoe," he bragged. "But seriously, why don't you like it."

"It's a parasite on the tree," she told him, pulling a stem away from the tree. "Attaches itself to the vascular system of the tree. See?"

"Uh huh," said Deeks, looking all around him. "I'm going to pretend I understood that."

"Seriously, Deeks?"

"I always preferred Human Biology. You know, about people?"

"Plants are important too."

The two bickered good-naturedly as the continued down the aisle of trees. The bickering eventually trailed off as they just enjoyed the walk.

"Did you know that there are four hundred and fifty species of mistletoe but only two can grow in Southern California?" Kensi said conversationally. "Bigleaf mistletoe and hairy mistletoe."

"Let me guess, they look like their names."

Kensi just scowled at him.

"For someone who doesn't like mistletoe, you sure know a lot about it," Deeks quickly redirected.

That got him another eyeroll.

"I like Botany."

What she _didn't _like was the bag of mistletoe the boss of the company gave them in gratitude for preventing the guy setting off a bomb in the orchard. They couldn't exactly _decline_, could they?

"We have enough to decorate every corner and doorway," Deeks said cheerfully, swinging the bag over his shoulder like a Santa sack.

Kensi definitely didn't like that either.

424


	11. Indestructible

**#Indestructible – Everyone hates fruitcake. I don't think this particular one is edible – 100 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour**

"Too bad we didn't have this last week, we could have broken that cabin window."

"I picked the lock!"

"Not before I _froze_."

"Baby."

"It was _snowing_."

Ignoring Kensi and Deeks' usual banter, Callen and Sam inspected the item in front of the suspiciously.

"Well, I think that's all this would be good for," announced Sam, poking the fruitcake. "I know I'm not eating this."

"Maybe it was a bad idea for us _all _to work on it," said Callen, trying to break a bit off.

That wasn't happening, it just bent slightly.

"Do any of us even _like _fruitcake?"


	12. Yule Like It

**#Yule Like It – Character A is **_**absolutely convinced **_**that Character B will like this surprise – 200 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Family**

Callen was feeling gleeful, positively giddy. He was excited and nervous but he had to keep cool. Aloof, even. He couldn't let any of that emotion show on his face. That would give the whole game away.

"Mr Callen, are you going to tell me what you are up to?"

"Surely you already know."

"In this case, no. You are full of surprises, Mr Callen."

Oh, he didn't believe that. Very little surprised this woman. She definitely knew what he was up to but was humouring him anyway. Probably because he rarely got in the festive mood. But this, this was _fun._

"But is the blindfold really necessary.

"Humour me."

"Very well, Mr Callen."

They were here.

"Ok, you can take it off now."

Hetty reached behind her head to do just that and was met with Callen's grinning face.

"What on earth?"

"Look around."

His excitement was rising and he was sure it was all over his face. She turned in a circle, eyes wide.

"Douglas fir, Scotch pine," she breathed, trailing her fingers along a branch. "And, is that a Bruce spruce over there?"

"Yep," Callen said proudly. "Thought you might want a traditional tree at your desk."


	13. Over the River

**#Over The River – And through the woods…where are we going again? – 100 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour**

"I'm pretty sure we're going the wrong direction, Kens."

"No, we're not."

"We _are_. Look, we didn't cross that river the last time."

"This is a short cut. The cabin's just over that hill." Kensi waved ahead of them.

Deeks snorted. "Shortcut. Because _that's _a great thing to take in the woods. We're lost."

"No, we're not."

"So very, very lost."

"Who's better at tracking in the woods, me or you?"

"You _prefer _the woods. That's an unfair advantage."

Kensi rolled her eyes and strode ahead.

"If I get hypothermia, I'm blaming you," he called after her, running to catch up.


	14. Stop it

**#Stop it – Someones enthusiasm for the holidays is getting out of hand – 200 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

"Wow," Deeks whistled, placing his bag on his desk.

"What happened in here?" Kensi asked, going over to her own desk.

The whole office was completely bedecked in lights and tinsel and numerous other Christmas decorations. It had not been like this last night, just their usual ones had been present; a few strings of lights, the holiday cactus, tinsel in the railings. But this, this was something else. Deeks didn't think that there was any railing left uncovered and somehow the were lights trailing down in a curtain from Ops.

Callen looked up from his desk and smirked at them. "Apparently, Eric and Nell hung back last night."

"And did all this?" said Kensi, looking around her in awe. "How?"

"It's probably better not to ask when it comes to those two."

"Probably involves drones and robots," Deeks guessed.

"And Eric has definitely programmed the pattern the lights a flashing in," Kensi stated. "No lights from the store flash like that."

"They're kind of out of rhythm," Deeks commented, tilting his head to one side.

"It's Merry Christmas in Morse code," Kensi explained. "And those ones over there are 'Happy New Year'."

"Wicked."

"What does Hetty think of it?"

221


	15. Secret Whatnow?

**#Secret Whatnow – The Secret Santa gift exchange went wrong this year. So very wrong – 100 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour**

The whole team looked down at the stack of wrapped items on the table in despair.

"Seriously?" Sam growled.

"Why aren't there any labels on them?" asked Eric, lifting one up. "I definitely put one on mine."

"So did I," added Kensi.

"We all did," said Callen, frowning. "Someone else did this."

"Someone obviously doesn't understand the point of Secret Santa," said Deeks.

"We didn't all use the same wrapping paper, did we?" queried Nell, looking at all the neatly wrapped parcels. "Because that would be creepy."

"Nope, someone else did that too."

"Well, this is going to be _fun_."


	16. Excite Mint

**#Excite Mint – Include the line: "You don't need 500 candy canes!" – 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

"Eric, I am telling you now. You do _not _need five hundred candy canes," Nell informed her friend as she peered over his shoulder at the contents of his screen.

His mouse hovered over the 'Quantity' field and he frowned at it.

"You're right," he told her clicking the field and cracking his knuckles.

Nell breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, he would take a zero off. Eric with that much candy in reach was _not _a good thing. Hadn't he learned from the candy corn? It had been _days _before he stopped smelling like them.

"I need a _thousand_."


	17. Winter Wonderland

**#Winter Wonderland – No, the other kind of Wonderland. What surreal rabbit hole do your characters fall down today – 400 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

"What the-?"

"This is so cool," Deeks enthused, looking all around them.

"This is _weird_," Kensi contradicted, her glances a lot more suspicious.

"I'm with Kens on this one," said Callen, keeping his gun raised.

Callen and Sam had been tracking a suspect but he had given them the slip so they had been directed to go help Kensi and Deeks look over his apartment. He rented a basement apartment on the outskirts of town. No other tenants in the building except on the top floor who had no idea who he was never mind what he did.

And apparently, he did a _lot_. His whole place was decorated from top to bottom with Christmas decorations. Multiple, fully decorated trees, garlands strung everywhere, lights trailing down the walls and even an inflatable Santa and his reindeer.

"This place is like Santa's grotto," Sam announced, a note of awe in his voice.

"Is this fake snow?" Kensi asked, crouching down on the floor to see.

"Doesn't look at it," Deeks said critically, he thought himself a connoisseur of the stuff. "It doesn't come in sheets like this."

"That's what it is," Kensi pronounced, straightening up and bringing some with her.

"Seriously? Fake snow?" Deeks asked disbelievingly. "It can't do that."

"_No_," Kensi gave Deeks the side-eye. "It's a sheet of stretched cotton wool."

"Oh, well, that's more logical."

Callen and Sam snickered behind them.

"This place has more candy canes than Beale," Deeks commented loudly, inspecting one of them on a tree branch to blatantly change the subject.

"An impressive feat," Sam replied, lifting various snowmen ornaments for any hint of their guy or what he was doing.

"Why would you even _do _this?" his partner asked.

"Some people actually _have _Christmas spirit, G."

"I have Christmas Spirit!

"Putting the cards up someone else has given you does _not _mean you have Christmas spirit."

"He's not exactly a Grinch," Kensi pointed out.

"Like this," Deeks shouted cheerfully from the back.

The three agents exchanged suspicious looks. That didn't sound like a good thing. Deeks reappeared with a cardboard cut-out of the Grinch.

"There's loads of Christmas movie characters back there, even an ironically small one of the Elf."

"Aidan and Kamran would love this," Sam said, smiling whimsically.

"Probably more so _without _the egocentric maniac we're trying to get," Callen said, smirking.

Sam tried to smother him with the fake snow.


	18. Piece of Joy

**#Piece of Joy – Character finds an object that brings them a memory of joy – 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Friendship**

So, you've never put this out?" Deeks asked.

Kensi shook her head.

"I couldn't," she admitted. "The memory was too raw."

"That important, huh?"

"Yeah," Kensi said quietly, smiling slightly as she played with the ornament. "Dad was deployed and I was really missing him. Didn't want to do Christmas without him, not even presents, but then he sent this from Afghanistan."

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

"I have the perfect place for this," Deeks declared, lifting the bauble carefully.

Kensi watched him as he crossed her apartment and placed it in pride of place on her tree.


	19. BAS

**#BAS – Bad Ass Santa has had it up to here! Cue fight scene. Is one of your characters dressed as Santa? Do they meet Santa? Whoever it is, things are going down! – 200 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

Callen winced in sympathy as a small child tugged on Deeks' fake beard. Hetty had actually glued the thing on him this time

"Why does Deeks always end up as Santa?" he asked into his comms.

"Believe it or not, he actually volunteers," Kensi replied.

"Oh, I believe it," Sam chuckled

"Ok, Merry Christmas Kathy!" Deeks boomed after the persistent girl. He turned back to the line of children. "Ok, who's next?"

They were trying t track down their 'Winter Wonderland' guy. Eric had found out he attended this Christmas fair every day without fail so here they were.

"Any sign of him?" Kensi asked.

"Nothing over here," said Callen, closely inspecting the map.

"I think I got something," said Sam. "Deeks, your nine o'clock."

"I see him," the blond replied, placing a child back on the ground. "Ok, kids. Santa needs to take care of the _very_ naughty list," He told them all.

Everything happened quite quickly. Deeks moved fast for a guy in a fat suit.

"You didn't have to body slam him," Kensi told him, shaking her head.

"It's not like I injured him with all this padding," Deeks pointed out, hauling their guy up in handcuffs.


	20. All wrapped Up

**#All Wrapped Up – Wrapping presents is... difficult – 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

Kensi growled in frustration and swept everything to the floor. Crumpled, patterned paper, pieces of ribbon and a mishmash of objects fell to the floor in a satisfying thump. She couldn't _do _this.

"Stupid presents," she muttered, kicking a pair of ridiculous socks away with her foot. "Stupid wrapping. Why won't it stay straight?"

She _hated _this part of Christmas. She wasn't too hot on the holiday anyway but this made it worse.

Deeks picked up her collection of untidy parcels and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You do know the mall does this for a donation, right?"


	21. Longest Night

**#Longest Night – Happy Solstice! Light the Yule Log, stay up late, make some wishes for the new year, play cards, or tell ghost stories in the flickering firelight – 300 words | Rating: K | Genre: Family**

"And that is how Yule should be celebrated," Hetty finished her explanation.

The flickering light of Eric's campfire screensaver gave her tale the atmosphere it needed, shadows dancing across everyone's faces. It had been a long day, thankfully with a happy ending for a Marine's family, but they were still running on adrenaline.

Someone had brought out a deck of cards and before you know it, they were in a circle around Hetty's desk playing poker. Hetty was winning, of course, but she had broken out some of her scotch so no one was complaining.

"So, what I'm hearing is that we need some Yule Log to celebrate," said Deeks, taking a card from the deck and frowned at his hand.

"Already well ahead of you, Mr Deeks," Hetty told him reaching over to one of the cabinets next to her desk and pulling out exactly that.

"Wow," Sam whistled. "Impressive."

"I imagined it having more decoration," Kensi commented, drooling over the chocolate masterpiece.

"Less is definitely more in this case, Miss Blye."

"I'm not arguing with that," said Callen. "Uh, shall we pause the game?"

"Most definitely," Hetty agreed. "I wouldn't want to clear you out of all your wages after all."

They all chuckled as slices of the log were passed out. They made quick work of it, only crumbs were left before long with yawning agents – the events of the day finally catching up with them. Someone's bones cracked loudly. That couldn't be good.

"Now, go on home. All of you," Hetty chided, chivvying them up from the table. "It's like none of you have families to go home to."

Callen looked around the happy, tired faces and let a smile spread across his own.

"I think you'll find that all of our family is right here."

337


	22. Toy Joy

**#Toy Joy – Character receives the **_**best gift ever**_** – 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Friendship**

Eric yawned, amazed he had got into work on time after last night. He definitely drank too much scotch if his headache was anything to go by. His yawn stopped abruptly when he noticed a box on his desk. A present?

"That's for you," came Nell's voice.

He jumped, startled.

"For me?" he repeated.

"That's what I said."

"From…you?"

"Yep," Nell nodded.

He looked quickly between the gift and her.

"Can I open it now? It's close enough to Christmas."

"Please," Nell said excitedly.

It was soon unwrapped to reveal a box with a plastic window.

"Is this?" he gasped.


	23. Warmth

**#Warmth – There is another hemisphere, you know. **** Kick back and relax…or marvel at some jet-skiing Santas – 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

"Can't we just stay here for the holidays?"

Kensi gave her partner a look.

They were perched in an outdoor bar in Brazil, tracking a suspect. Drinking water, of course, as everyone around them prepared for some Christmas competition.

"It's warm here!" he complained. "I need to defrost!"

"Are you _still _going on about the cabin?" Callen's voice crackled over the comms.

"Hey, I nearly lost my fingers to frostbite!"

"You got them wet," came Sam's exasperated voice.

"I _could _have lost them."

Kensi shook her head and turned his face to the ocean. "Just watch the pretty, jet-skiing Santas."


	24. On High

**#On High – Merry Christmas! Time for an Angel AU! – 300 words | Rating: K+ | Genre: Humour**

This was strange. Extremely so. Even for him and that was saying something. For all his experience he had _definitely _not experienced anything like this before.

Everything was white, the floor, the ceiling. Every surface he could see. Thankfully, it wasn't a glaring white, like an expanse of snow. Instead it had a faint yellowish glow, like those yellow-white Christmas lights that seemed to being going out of fashion for that intense blue-white. It was still disorientating; the human eyes weren't designed to take in so much white.

But that wasn't the strangest thing. Oh no. _That _particular accolade went to his partner.

Who was dressed in a robe. A _white _robe. And no other clothes by the looks of things. Well, hopefully he had underwear on but Callen wasn't about to check.

"You okay, G?"

"Sam?"

"Yeah, that's me, partner. Remember?"

And what was with the heavenly chorus backing choir? Callen squinted behind the man; a backing choir that looked very familiar.

"Kensi? _Deeks?_"

He shook his head. He had to be seeing things. He had to. There was no way those two would be dressed in white robes two.

"Hi Sam," they chorused, voices in echoey harmony and wings fluttering.

Wait, wings? All three of them had them. Large and white, coated in feathers though Deeks' looked scruffy. Obviously.

What was going on?

"G! G!"

Callen groaned, stretching his arms. When did he fall asleep?

"G!"

"I'm awake, I'm awake."

Sam's face swam into his vision as he blinked the sleep away. It was grinning.

"Sleeping Beauty's awake!" he announced to the team.

"Finally!" came Deeks' voice from another room

Callen groaned again; it was too loud. Sam playfully patted him on shoulder, making him shake.

"I liked you better as an angel," he muttered.

"Say _what_ now?"


	25. Light

**#Light – Happy Hanukkah! Light up the night tonight – 300 words | Rating: K | Genre: Friendship/Humour**

"_What _on earth is that?"

Hetty was staring at her two more senior agents in horrified exasperation. Only Hetty could really pull that expression off.

Sam and Callen exchanged looks, then looked at her, then the object between them.

"It's the menorah, Hetty," Sam told her cheerfully. "Like I told you about."

"That is another cactus."

"A menor-us," Callen helpfully added. "Or a cact-norah."

"It is a cactus."

"It's an LA menorah," Sam corrected. "It has the right number of arms and everything."

Hetty peered at him from over her glasses, Sam couldn't help but squirm slightly under her gaze.

"And where did you find such a cactus?"

"He knows a guy," Callen supplied.

Hetty gave Callen a brief look but then turned back to Sam, eyebrow raised.

"You know a guy," she repeated. "You have a cactus guy?"

"Um, yes?"

Hetty sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. She really was so alone sometimes. Before she could scold them further on their complete lack of acquiescence to tradition something interrupted them. Someone. Two someones to be exact.

"Hey, guys, we got the candlesticks you wanted," Deeks called across the office.

"They didn't have them all in the same colour," Kensi warned. "But thy are the right height."

"Only took five shops to find them," Deeks grumbled.

Hetty gave Sam and Callen a look.

"Menorah's need candles, Hetty," Sam said defensively.

"They can't exactly be a cact-norah without them," added Callen.

"I thought we were going with 'menor-us'?" Deeks asked, pouting.

Callen shook his head. "Cact-norah sounds better."

"_Men_orah sounds best," Kensi said pointedly.

Hetty gave up. She couldn't take it anymore. Sighing, she walked away.

"I guess now would be the wrong time to put the candles on?" Deeks asked, taking a candle out of the box.


	26. Together

**#Together – Joyus Kwanzaa! Unity is your theme today – 300 words | Rating: K | Genre: Family/Humour**

"I suppose the upside to this is we're not in the cabin."

The whole team groaned.

"Enough with the cabin, Deeks," Kensi growled at her partner.

"I was _traumatised_."

"I'll traumatise you," Sam threatened.

Deeks twisted around and whined, "Hetty! Sam's not being very harmonious!"

"For this to work you all need to be calm and relaxed," Hetty scolded.

Everyone grumbled but didn't dare voice their complaints out loud. She'd make them stay longer if they did.

Of course, this whole situation they were in had been Hetty's idea. No one else could get them all to do something like this. Not even Granger at his gruffest.

Kensi took a deep breath like meditation taught her and exhaled nosily.

"Do you mind?" Callen asked irritably, cracking one of his eyes open.

"Mr Callen."

"But!"

Hetty put a finger to her lips. "Shh."

With a scowl, he did as he was told and closed his eyes again.

They were all sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed and shoulders relaxed. Hetty had made the decision that they were all overworked and overstressed. Which they were but that was nothing new. Apparently, they were more so than what was acceptable due to the holiday season. That couldn't exactly be helped, there was always so much to do.

But now it was over, barely, and there was no more present buying or food cooking to do. All had been opened, were being played with or eaten. Hetty wasted no time in putting her plan into action. She was leading what she called a 'relaxation session and de-stressor. Basically, a spa experience without the spa in Callen's opinion, directing them in breathing exercises and, he quotes 'harmonious togetherness' which was definitely made up and sounded terrifying.

"We get chocolate after this, right?" Kensi checked.


	27. Some Assembly Required

**#Some Assembly Required – There's always a gift that just doesn't go together right - 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

Sam grunted and sighed as he moved it off him.

"I though, urgh, you were meant, urgh, to get this built, urgh, _before_ Christmas," Deeks huffed, holding the top up so it didn't fall on Sam.

"I didn't need to," Sam replied with a groan, dropping the screwdriver and wiping his brow. "I got Kamran's dollhouse built for Christmas Day."

"We'd be a lot quicker if there were two more pairs of hands," Deeks said pointedly.

The two men shot their partners dark looks.

Kensi and Callen waved cheerfully at them from the chairs.

"Our two DIY men," Callen teased.


	28. And To All A Goodnight

**#And To All A Goodnight – The holidays are exhausting, time for a nap - 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Family**

Michelle stopped herself from entering the room and hung onto the doorframe. She almost melted at the sight of what was in front of her.

Her husband and his team were all lying in a puppy pile in her living room, limbs tanged together in a manner that she was sure was going to be painful tomorrow.

She shook her head fondly; they had spent the last two days putting together her kids' Christmas presents. Did a pretty good job too, nothing exploded.

A few quick taps later and a picture was captured and sent. Hetty would appreciate the photo.


	29. Silent Night

**#Silent Night – just a couple of characters and the hush of freshly fallen slow - 200 words | Rating: K | Genre: Humour**

"I want to run in it."

Deeks did a double take at his partner. "What? No!"

"Oh, come _on_."

Shaking his head at his partner, he folded his arms. "It's all pretty and unspoilt," he said, jerking his head towards the blanket of snow in front of them.

"That's exactly why we need to run through it," she told him quite seriously.

They were back at the cabin, again. Only this time it was just the two of them Deeks had been hoping that the snow had somewhat melted but they had just arrived to a fresh snow storm, much to his disgust. He really hated the stuff. He made sure Kensi knew it.

"Should I be concerned with your destructive urges?" Deeks teased.

Kensi pulled a face. "I thought you'd be happy to, with how much you hate it and all."

"Well, yeah, but-"

He took another look at the smooth surface. Even he had to admit how lovely it looked; it would be a shame to destroy it.

"Well?" Kensi repeated, getting impatient.

"I don't want to wreck it," he whined, his voice echoing oddly against the snow.

"Just one footprint?" Kensi wheedled, turning big eyes on him.


	30. Reflection

**#Reflection – The year is coming to a close What's a character's favourite memory from their last year? - 100 words | Rating: K | Genre: Family/Friendship**

Kensi sipped her beer, waiting for Deeks to return from the bathroom so they could continue their movie. She was going to eat all the popcorn if he wasn't quick.

It was a feel-good movie tonight. One the made you smile and laugh without having to think too much. It kind of reminded her of the day the team spent in the cabin. Not the plot of the movie, Deeks was right it was the premise of a horror movie, but the general feeling of friendship and togetherness.

That was sappy. She reached for the bowl. Popcorn would fix that.


	31. Taking Time

**#Taking Time – Happy New Years! Just as the year is about to roll over, the villains steal centre stage. Literally. They take it. - 500 words | Rating: T | Genre: Humour**

"Why is it always when I'm in a dress?" Kensi darkly muttered, jaw set as she sprinted after their guy.

Well, she tried to sprint. It was a bit hard to do that when you were in a densely packed hall (and Deeks meant _densely _packed) where everyone was already drunk off their asses and in a tight dress. His partner was making it work though, as usual. Deeks had to hide his smirk and focus on catching their guy who thought it was a brilliant idea to run headfirst into this woozy crowd.

Actually, it as a pretty good idea for the guy, he and Kensi had practically lost him. Smart ass had even stopped running so he blended in too, dammit.

"Ok! We're going to start our countdown now and the band will start laying!" the host shouted into his mic.

Deeks winced. This headlining act was _not _good and he did not want his New Year's kiss to have any of their songs s it's background. It would just be pathetic. He looked at his frowning partner. Not that he thought he was going to get his kiss at this rate.

"Ten!"

"Over there!" Kensi shouted pointed off to his left.

Or, Deeks assumed she shouted because he couldn't hear her over the crowd. He followed her finger

"Nine!"

There he was! Edging along the side of the wall all shifty-like. Deeks tutted. Rookie mistake.

"Eight!"

A few quick hand signals later and the two of them had their plan. They'd be trapping him from the front and back and pray that he wouldn't get into the crowd again.

"Seven!"

They were getting very close, surprisingly since people kept on fall on them. There was definitely too much alcohol at this party.

"Six!"

The guy saw them. Kensi swore loud enough to be heard over the crowd as he bolted. They both did the same, they just had to stop him getting to the door.

"Five!"

Deeks saw their suspect start to panic as they gained on him. Good. He had nowhere to hide now.

"Four!"

Or, maybe he did. Deeks gaped as the guy seized one of the many thick cables used for the acoustics and lights and started _shimmying _up it like he was in Gym class.

"Three!"

"What the?" Deeks mouthed at his partner. What was the correct procedure for this?

Kensi shrugged hopelessly at him, staring upwards in disbelief.

"Two!"

The rope wobbled as the guy started to swing. Honesty, what was he trying to achieve?

"One!"

Their suspect slipped off the cable, making Deeks' heart jump into his mouth, and surprisingly landing on his feet on the stage with only a slight wobble.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The microphone screeched as the host shouted far too close to it. Their suspect practically fell over at its volume. The host thrust the microphone at the stunned guy.

"Nice entrance dude!" their suspect got told by the host as he gestured for him to sing.


End file.
